DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhong (CN 115022996 A) in view of Luu (US 11737541 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Zhong discloses a manicure curing device, comprising:
a housing (Fig. 1; shell 1 + supporting unit 5) having an internal cavity, wherein the internal cavity has an upper surface (lamp plate 3 and/or shell 1), and a lateral opening for entry and exit of a target (i.e., hand) (Fig. 1);
a first curing lamp module disposed on the upper surface and provided with a plurality of first curing lamps (LED lamp beads) that are independently controlled, wherein each of the plurality of first curing lamps irradiates a different position to cover a lower part corresponding to the upper surface (pg. 2, the paragraphs starting with “In one embodiment, the illumination unit comprises LED lamp plate…” and “The nail beautifying lamp…”);
an image acquisition module (sensor/camera 2) disposed on the upper surface and configured to acquire a target image (pg. 8, paragraph starting with “In one embodiment, the detecting unit 2…”); and
a processing module (core controller) correspondingly connected to the image acquisition module and the first curing lamp module for extracting a nail image from the target image and lighting the first curing lamp for irradiating an area where the nail image is located (see second half of pg. 3).
Zhong fails to disclose:
wherein the housing has a left and right surfaces.
However, Luu teaches a housing having an upper surface, left surface, and right surface (Fig. 9 show these surfaces with LEDs 907). It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to modify Zhong wherein the housing has left and right surfaces, and where additional curing lamps are placed these surfaces so that the sides of the nails can be irradiated for optimal curing. With the modification, the additional curing lamps would be structurally and functionally similar to the first curing lamp module in Zhong.
Regarding claim 2, modified Zhong discloses the manicure curing device according to claim 1, further including:
a second curing lamp module (Fig. 9 of Luu; 907) disposed on the left surface (Luu; 906), and
a third curing lamp module (Luu; 907) disposed on the right surface (Luu; 904),
wherein the second curing lamp module is provided with a plurality of second curing lamps that are independently controlled, and the third curing lamp module is provided with a plurality of third curing lamps that are independently controlled, each of the second curing lamp module and the third curing lamp module is connected to the processing module, and the processing module is configured to extract a thumb nail image from the target image and lighting the second curing lamp and/or the third curing lamp for irradiating an area where the thumb nail image is located (in the combination, the second and third curing lamp modules would be similar functionally and structurally to the first curing lamp module disclosed in Zhong).
Regarding claim 3, modified Zhong discloses the manicure curing device according to claim 2, wherein an angle between a plane (Fig. 9 of Luu; 906) where the second curing lamp module is located and a lower surface (Luu; 910) of the internal cavity is an acute angle, and an angle between a plane (Fig. 9 of Luu; 904) where the third curing lamp module is located and the lower surface (Fig. 9 of Luu; 908) of the internal cavity is another acute angle.
Regarding claim 6, modified Zhong discloses the manicure curing device according to claim 2, wherein the housing includes: an inner housing (Zhong; plate 3) having the inner cavity, and an outer housing (Zhong; shell 1) disposed on an upper side of the inner housing (see also Figs. 3 and 4 of Luu showing an inner and outer housings).
Claim(s) 4-5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhong (CN 115022996 A) in view of Luu (US 11737541 B1), as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Feng (CN 217065619 U).
Regarding claim 4, modified Zhong discloses the manicure curing device according to claim 1, except further including: a partition vertically disposed in the housing to divide the internal cavity into a left cavity and a right cavity, wherein a fourth curing lamp is provided on a left side of the partition, a fifth curing lamp module is provided on a right side of the partition, the fourth curing lamp module is provided with a plurality of fourth curing lamps that are independently controlled, the fifth curing lamp module is provided with a plurality of fifth curing lamps that are independently controlled, each of the fourth curing lamp module and the fifth curing lamp module is connected to the processing module, and the processing module is configured to extract a thumb nail image from the target image and lighting the fourth curing lamp and/or the fifth curing lamp for irradiating an area where the thumb nail image is located.
However, this claim simply duplicates the manicure device of claim 1 and having a partition separating the two devices. The fourth and fifth curing lamp modules operate in the same fashion as the first curing module.
Feng teaches a manicure curing device that can accommodate both hands, and where there is a partition (Fig. 1: center divider) vertically disposed to divide the compartment into a left compartment and a right compartment, each compartment for receiving one hand.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to duplicate the manicure curing device of Zhong so that there is a partition vertically disposed in the housing to divide the internal cavity into a left cavity and a right cavity, wherein a fourth curing lamp is provided on a left side of the partition, a fifth curing lamp module is provided on a right side of the partition, the fourth curing lamp module is provided with a plurality of fourth curing lamps that are independently controlled, the fifth curing lamp module is provided with a plurality of fifth curing lamps that are independently controlled, each of the fourth curing lamp module and the fifth curing lamp module is connected to the processing module, and the processing module is configured to extract a thumb nail image from the target image and lighting the fourth curing lamp and/or the fifth curing lamp for irradiating an area where the thumb nail image is located.
The motivation to combine is so that the nail polish on both hands can be cured at once.
Regarding claim 5, modified Zhong discloses the manicure curing device according to claim 4, wherein an angle between a plane where the fourth curing lamp module is located and a lower surface of the internal cavity is an acute angle, and an angle between a plane where the fifth curing lamp module is located and the lower surface of the internal cavity is another acute angle. The left and right cavities would have the same setup as the internal cavity described in claim 3.
Claim(s) 7, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhong (CN 115022996 A) in view of Luu (US 11737541 B1) and Feng (CN 217065619 U), as applied to claim 6, and further in view of Yeon (US 20230037888 A1).
Regarding claim 7, modified Zhong discloses the manicure curing device according to claim 6, wherein a top plate of the inner housing is arranged in a grid-like structure (Zhong; Fig. 4), the first curing lamp module is disposed between the inner housing (Zhong; 3) and the outer housing (Zhong; 1), an irradiation end of the first curing lamp module irradiates a user's nail through the grid-like structure; and
the first curing lamp module includes: a plurality of first lenses disposed at the grid-like structure and having protruding ends passing through hollow spaces of the grid-like structure (Fig. 4 show circular lenses, i.e., LED lamp bead ball, disposed at the grid and each circular lens protrudes through each square-shaped cell), except a first grid plate fixedly disposed on an upper side of the grid-like structure to fix the plurality of first lenses in the grid-like structure, and a first lamp panel disposed on an upper side of the first grid plate and a plurality of lamp beads of the first lamp panel corresponding to the hollow spaces of the first grid plate.
Zhong does not provide the details of the grid-like structure. Nevertheless, Yeon teaches a LED display apparatus comprising:
a plurality of first lenses (Fig. 3; 185) disposed at the grid-like structure (Fig. 2) and having protruding ends passing through hollow spaces (Figs. 9L; OP1) of the grid-like structure, a first grid plate (Fig. 3; 184, 182, 111, 190, 195, 295, and/or 290) fixedly disposed on an upper side of the grid-like structure to fix the plurality of first lenses in the grid-like structure, and
a first lamp panel (Fig. 3; 201) disposed on an upper side of the first grid plate and a plurality of lamp beads (Fig. 3; 110+170+185) of the first lamp panel corresponding to the hollow spaces of the first grid plate.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to modify Zhong to include a first grid plate fixedly disposed on an upper side of the grid-like structure to fix the plurality of first lenses in the grid-like structure, and a first lamp panel disposed on an upper side of the first grid plate and a plurality of lamp beads of the first lamp panel corresponding to the hollow spaces of the first grid plate. The motivation to combine is so that there are structural elements anchoring the LEDs in place.
Regarding claim 8, modified Zhong discloses a plurality of second lenses (Luu, 907) disposed on a left side of the inner housing (Luu, Fig. 9), except a second grid plate disposed on a left side of the inner housing, a plurality of second lenses disposed on the second grid plate and having protruding ends passing through hollow spaces of the second grid plate, a third grid plate disposed on the inner housing and located on a left side of the second grid plate to fix the plurality of second lenses in the second grid plate, and a second lamp panel disposed on a left side of the third grid plate and a plurality of lamp beads of the second lamp panel corresponding to the hollow spaces of the third grid plate.
Zhong does not provide the details of the grid-like structure. Nevertheless, Yeon teaching an LED display comprising:
a second grid plate (Fig. 9N; 184, 182), a plurality of second lenses (Fig. 3; 185) disposed on the second grid plate and having protruding ends passing through hollow spaces (Figs. 9O; OP2) of the second grid plate,
a third grid plate (Fig. 9M; 111) located behind the second grid plate to fix the plurality of second lenses in the second grid plate, and a second lamp panel (Fig. 9M; 190) disposed behind the third grid plate and a plurality of lamp beads (Fig. 9M; 110, 170) of the second lamp panel corresponding to the hollow spaces (Fig. 9L; OP1) of the third grid plate.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to modify Zhong to include a second grid plate disposed on a left side of the inner housing, a plurality of second lenses disposed on the second grid plate and having protruding ends passing through hollow spaces of the second grid plate, a third grid plate disposed on the inner housing and located on a left side of the second grid plate to fix the plurality of second lenses in the second grid plate (Yeon teaches where the third grid plate is behind the second grid plate, and in the combination, the third grid plate would be to the left of the second grid plate), and a second lamp panel disposed on a left side of the third grid plate and a plurality of lamp beads of the second lamp panel corresponding to the hollow spaces of the third grid plate (Yeon teaches where the second lamp panel is behind the third grid plate, and in the combination, the second lamp panel would be to the left of the third grid plate). The motivation to combine is so that there are structural elements anchoring the LEDs in place.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/JASON LAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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